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What Information to Include in a Wedding Invitation

Your wedding should be the happiest day of your life, and it is important to be sure that your family and friends are able to attend the event and celebrate this special occasion with you. In order to make sure that everyone gets there, while being certain that all of the information is correct, you need to know what to include on a wedding invitation.

First of all, you should know that there are two parts to knowing what to include on a wedding invitation. The first part is the general information that needs to be included, and the second part is the correct wording. Both parts are very important so that you can be sure to have the wedding invitation that is going to be the absolute best for you.

Wedding Information

The first thing to focus on is the information. A good way to plan out your wedding invitation is to make a list of the information that needs to be included first, and then figure out the right wording for it. The information that you need is very important. First, you need to have the time and date of the wedding. Remember that once you send the invites out, the time and date are going to be locked in, so check with your officiate and the venue to make sure that your wedding is properly scheduled. Secondly, you may need the address of the venue for the wedding. Check with a map to be sure that it is correct, and double check with the actual venue.

Reception information

You also need to have the time, date, and location of the reception, if there is one, and a short description of when it is going to occur, such as “after the ceremony” or, “at 5:30″. Next, you should include both of your names, as you want them to appear on the marriage license. You need to have the names of the people who are paying for the wedding, or, in some cases, simply the names of your parents. Then, you should include information about how your guests can RSVP or can otherwise let you know that they are coming. Lastly, you want to include some type of wording to give an idea of the formality of your wedding.

Invitation Layout

Once you have the correct information, it is important to be able to put it into the correct order and into the correct wording, in order to complete your wedding invitation. First, include the names of your parents. Traditionally, wedding invitations start by listing the parents, along with inviting the recipients to the wedding. For instance, an invitation may begin with “Mr. Frank Jones and his wife Sarah, along with John and Emily Smith, invite you to share in the union of their children.”

If one set of parents is paying more for the wedding, they should be listed first. If both are paying equally, they should be listed with the groom’s family first. If neither of them is paying, you can still honour them by starting out the invitations in this manner. Be sure to include stepparents or extended families, if they are paying for the wedding or if they are close to you.

You may want to continue with some words about the service, such as your names and that both of you are going to be joined in matrimony. Following this, you want to have the name of the venue, the address of the venue, and the date and time. Remember that numbers are usually written out, and that the overall tone should be formal.

After you have listed the wedding, you can move onto the reception. Sometimes this is included in the formal wedding announcement, and sometimes it is found at the bottom of the invitation. Where you put it depends on the importance of the reception in comparison to the wedding itself. Again, be sure to give the name of the venue, the address, and the time, and write out all of the numbers.

Setting the Tone

Keep in mind that when you are including information on your wedding invitation, it needs to be pertinent to the service, and is also needs to have a tone which reflects the formality of the wedding itself. Your guests should learn about your wedding from the invitation, so you want to make sure that everything is included. All of this information is important to include on an invitation especially the text.

An invitation serves several main purposes including informing guests about the date, time and location of the event, but it also lets them know what type of ceremony to expect. These tips should be able to help you complete this important process successfully, while inviting your family and friends to your special day.

About the Author

Cynthia Andrews is a freelance writer who writes about weddings and other family events. Ms. Jackson often writes about specific aspects of a weeding such as the wedding invitations.